Is Sunil Chhetri's comeback a good or bad thing? Khel Now debates

The 40-year-old Indian icon is set to make a comeback to the national team in March.

Indian football team icon Sunil Chhetri is set to make a shock return to the squad for the upcoming international fixtures. While the decision to unretire and suit up again has been received well from many national team fans, there are few fans who are divided on his impending return. With India set to face the Maldives before the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers 2027, the debate about Chhetri’s return will rage on, until he takes the field.

While some fans feel his return adds much-needed experience and firepower to a team struggling to score goals, others see his return as an impediment to further the growth of the young attacking talent among Indian ranks. With doubts about the duration of his return beyond the Maldives game still in the air, Indian football fans face an uncertain couple of months of football action.

Ahead of one of the most important international windows in recent memory for Team India, Khel Now debates the positives and negatives emanating from the Indian legend’s return.

Why Sunil Chhetri’s return is a boon for the Indian national football team?

The return of one of the greatest players to emerge from the subcontinent is a major boost for Manolo Marquez’s men ahead of a tough run of fixtures. While there are always going to be some doubters about his return, here are three reasons why he could be a boon in disguise:

Return of one of the greatest goalscorers in Asia

Manolo Marquez has finally decided to call up one of the best players to don the Blue Tigers jersey in the team’s history. Chhetri has again proved his scoring credentials time and again and proved himself again in the Indian Super League (ISL) this season with Bengaluru FC.

Having made 23 appearances this season, Chhetri contributed with 12 goals and two assists this season. He was the only Indian player to be ranked within the top 10 goalscorers in the league this season. While league football and international football have different stakes and intensity, Chhetri has shown the ability to translate his domestic form in the big games for the Blues Tigers over the years.

A true leader on the field

Since Chhetri’s retirement following the disappointment of elimination from World Cup Qualifiers, the captain’s armband has played passing the parcel among the players. Under Marquez’s stewardship, the captaincy role has shifted from four players over the course of four games. The importance of a singular unifying voice is essential for any success in any team game.

With Chhetri’s return, the role of captaincy will be assigned to a player accustomed to the pressure that comes with that mantle. Marquez needs leaders on the pitch, who can help him earn his first win as the Indian head coach and the 40-year-old striker might just be the answer to that issue.

Chhetri steps up in the big moments for India

While concerns over the Indian striker’s goal-scoring record in recent seasons might be valid, Chhetri has helped the national team get results in games that would have been chalked as losses. Among the list of the last five scorers to find the net for India, Chhetri is among the scorers.

While his age and patchy form might be a genuine concern, the Indian legend’s ability to galvanize his teammates is unlike any other. Year after year, Chhetri produces the goods irrespective of the quality of players around him. Finding the net in the big moments is what the legendary striker is known for and it is an issue that currently plagues Marquez’s men.

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Why Sunil Chhetri’s return to the Indian national football team is not a wise decision?

There is no doubting Sunil Chhetri’s pedigree and what he has done in the colours of the national team. However, him coming back into the fray might not be the best decision due to these three reasons:

It will affect the confidence of the younger players

The other young forwards might feel that Manolo Marquez has brought back Sunil Chhetri as he doesn’t trust them enough. Again, the 40-year-old is just a temporary fix to the problem and if the Indian legend keeps the striker position, it will further complicate the nation’s search for a new striker.

ISL clubs are anyways playing foreign forwards in the number nine position. Only if the likes of Irfan Yadwad, Farukh Choudhary, Manvir Singh or others are given game time as strikers with the national team is when they can get better.

Chhetri’s form in recent games might leave a question mark!

Yes, Sunil Chhetri has had an amazing ISL season, scoring 12 goals in 23 games. However, the Bengaluru FC skipper has found the back of the net only once in the last six league games, that too from the penalty spot against East Bengal.

While Chhetri is still the second-highest scorer in the league behind Alaeddine Ajaraie, It might have been best to start Irfan Yadwad upfront. The Chennaiyin FC forward is on a decent run and is known to track back to help the defence, helping the team further.

Chhetri has not been as effective in recent years!

If you take out the current Indian Super League season, Chhetri has scored 14 goals in 61 ISL games in the last three seasons combined. Out of these, five goals were from the penalty spot for Bengaluru FC.

For the Indian national team, Captain Leader Legend played 22 games between the start of 2023 and his retirement in June 2024. In this, Chhetri scored nine goals for the Blue Tigers, with his best coming in the 2023 SAFF Championship that was won by India.

Igor Stimac’s side failed to score a single goal in the AFC Asian Cup in early 2024. On a personal note, Chhetri had a tournament to forget with just one shot on target in three group games. Though the Indian captain is revered by his nation and everyone will be excited to see him again in the national kit, these things do show that the Indian football icon might be past his best.

Can Chhetri prove his haters wrong once again like he did in the ISL this season? Only time will tell…

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